Jay Weichun, of Grymes Hill, and a group of volunteers from The Wildflower Project, "weeded, tilled, and seeded" the tree pits on Hannah Street between Bay and Van Duzer streets in Tompkinsville. (Photo Courtesy of Tattfoo Tan)

LOVE YOUR BLOCK AWARDS

TOMPKINSVILLE - Last month, the nonprofit Citizens Committee for New York City awarded Love Your Block awards to five community-based groups on Staten Island, with cash grants of $1,000 each to transform and beautify forlorn public spaces.

On May 14, volunteers with The Wildflower Project got to work, with Brian, an adopted Dalmatian-American Staffordshire terrier, in tow.

"We went to Central Avenue at Bay Street, which is pretty neglected, and planted native and regional seeds," said Jay Weichun of Grymes Hill. The volunteers also "weeded, tilled, and seeded" the tree pits on Hannah Street between Bay and Van Duzer streets.

"This strip will look really nice. There are no residents, so no one takes ownership," said Weichun. "The trees are spaced 15-feet away from one another. We put down a lot of seed. Daniel Subkoff, an artist from Manhattan, gave me 15 pounds of grasses and native seeds."

Weichun solicited help from local stores for the initiative, and received a contribution from Doody's on Victory Boulevard in Castleton Corners of two rakes and bag of gloves, and a $25 gift card from Home Depot in Clifton.

The Love Your Block program kicked off in 2009, focused on 12 sites across New York City. It has since expanded to 50 blocks in all five boroughs. The Citizens Committee works in partnership with various city agencies – the departments of Parks, Sanitation, and Transportation – to make the program work. The agencies provide services such as "vacant lot cleanup, graffiti removal, tree planting, community-garden development, installing new sidewalks, pothole repair, and much more," the Citizens Committee explained.